Mario Pestarino

Dipartimento di Biologia
Università di Genova
viale Benedetto XV, 5
16132  Genova,  ITALY

Place and Date of Birth: Genova (Italy), 10.08.1947
Work Address: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Genova, viale Benedetto XV 5, 16132 Genova. Tel. +39.010.3538043, fax: +39010.3533062, e-mail: pesta@unige.it
Degree in Biological Sciences: 25.03.1971, Università di Genova (Italy).
1. TEACHING ACTIVITY
1.1. Professional Career
1981-1992 Assistant professor (Researcher), Institute of Comparative Anatomy, Faculty of Sciences, University of Genova (Italy)
1983-1984 Attended to the following theoretical and practical courses "Immunolabelling for Electron Microscopy", "Immunocytochemistry for Light Microscopy", "Regulatory Peptides", "Monoclonal Antibodies", at the Department of Histochemistry, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London (UK).
1984 Attended to the practical course "Anticorpi monoclonali e loro applicazioni" at the Scuola Superiore di Oncologia e Scienze Biomediche, Istituto scientifico per lo studio e la cura dei tumori, Genova (Italy).
1991-1992 Adjunct professor of Comparative Anatomy, Facolty of Sciences, University of Genova (Italy)
1992-2000 Associate professor of Comparative Anatomy and Cytology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Genova (Italy)
2000-present Full professor of Cytology and Histology, and Cell and Developmental Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Genova (Italy)
2001-present Member of the Ph.D. Course in “Neurochemistry and Neurobiology” of the University of Genova (Italy)
2002-2005 Secretary-Treasurer of the Italian Society for Neuroscience
2003-present Secretary of the Course of Studies in Biotechnology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Genova (Italy)
2004-present Coordinator of the Course of High level in Molecular and cellular Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Genova (Italy)
1.2. Rapporteur of experimental thesis
Rapporteur of more than one hundred Thesis in Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, discussed at the University of Genova (Italy)
2. RESEARCH ACTIVITY
2.1. Collaborations with National and International Laboratories
1977-1978 Guest Investigator on “Ascidians systematics and biology”, Laboratoire de biologie des invertébrés marins et malacologie del Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris, France, under the supervision of Prof. Claude and Françoise Monniot.
1979-1980 Guest investigator on “Ultrastructure of the branchial basket of ascidians”, Laboratoire Arago, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 6, Banyuls-sur-mer, France, under the supervision of Prof. Aline Fiala-Medioni.
1990 Guest investigator on “ Hormone peptides and growth factors on the development of ascidians and appendicularians”, Friday Harbor Laboratories, Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, under the supervision of Prof. Aubrey Gorbman.
1997-1998 Guest investigator on “Histochemistry of appendicularians” Kristineberg Marine Research Station, Royal S wedish Academy of Sciences, Fiskebäckskill, Sweden, under the supervision of Prof. Ragnar Olsson.
1998-present Joint researches on “Molecular and developmental biology of the amphioxus Branchiostoma floridae” and “Sequencing of the amphioxus genome”, at the Department of Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, in collaboration of Proff. Linda and Nick Holland, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA.
1999-present Joint researches on “Role of the neurotransmitters in the development of protochordates”, in collaboration with Prof. Fiorenza De Bernardi, University of Milan, Italy.
2003-present Joint researches on “Developmental biology of the amphioxus Branchiostoma lanceolatum” in collaboration with Dr. Hector Escrivà-Garcia, Laboratoire Arago, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 6, Banyuls-sur-mer, France.
2006-present Joint researches on “Molecular evolution of the huntingtin gene” in collaboration with Prof. Elena Cattaneo, University of Milan, Italy
2006-present Joint researches on “Evolutionary biology of synapsins in protochordates” in collaboration with Prof. Fabio Benfenati, University of Genova, Italy.
Member of the following scientific societies: Unione Zoologica Italiana, Società Italiana di Istochimica, Associazione di Biologia Cellulare e del Differenziamento, Società Italiana di Neuroscienze, Ray Society of London, European Society for Comparative Endocrinologists, Society for Developmental Biology, American Association of Anatomists, The New York Academy of Sciences.
2.2. National and international research projects
1986-1992 Principal investigator of the project “"Neuroni peptidergici in vertebrati inferiori e protocordati", (MURST-40%), national coordinator Prof. Aldo Fasolo, University of Turin, Italy.
1999-2008 National coordinator of the following research projects (PRIN):
“Role of neurotransmitters in the development and differentiation of the nervous system” (MIUR-PRIN 9905111147).
“Neurotransmitters as early signals for nervous system developmentand differentiation” (MIUR-PRIN 2002055187)
“Role of neurotransmitters on neural development and differentiation: molecular, functional and evolutionary aspects” (MIUR-PRIN 2004057732).
“Transcription factors and neurotransmitters in the neural development: molecular, functional and evolutionary aspects” (MIUR-PRIN 2006058952)
2001-2004 National coordinator of the research project (FIRB) on “POU genes in the differentiation of the nervous system of protochordates” (MIUR-FIRB RBAU01WAFY).
2000-2008 Member of the international consortium on the amphioxus genome sequencing.
2.3. Referee and translation
- Referee of the following journals: Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica, BMC Genomics, Brain Research, Cell and Tissue Research, European Journal of Histochemistry, European Journal of Cell Biology, Evolution and Development, Gene, The Histochemical Journal, , Marine Biology, Micron,
- Translator of the chapter “Fondamenti di Biologia molecolare”, of the book edited by Cooper G.M. and Hausman R.E., “La Cellula: un approccio molecolare”, Piccin Editore (in coll. with Dr. Simona Candiani)
2.4. Papers
Author of 76 papers in extenso published in journals with impact factor and ranked by ISI.

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